Ratatouille Pasta Sauce

Ratatouille Pasta Sauce- made with a combination of summer’s best produce, this ratatouille-inspired sauce is hearty and full of flavor. Less than 10 ingredients + 30 minutes to make!

I’m just going to say it. This is definitely towards the top of the least visually attractive recipes I have on my site. As it turns out, blending zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers and tomatoes together does not result in the most appetizing of colors. Who knew?

Orange and brown are really tough for a food blogger to work with but I did my best to make it look as good as it tastes. Is it cool if we just focus on the sounds of the flavors today and the pretty green basil leaves on top? K, thanks.

What’s awesome is that I was able to make this recipe almost entirely from produce I picked up at my local farmers market. Summer has been kind to us this year.

I don’t know about you guys but whenever I see a bunch of eggplant my mind goes straight to ratatouille. I love the flavors of the vegetables melded together but, to be honest, the texture of eggplant rubs me the wrong way. Unless it’s cut super thin and fried. But that’s not exactly healthy.

By using all of the ingredients of a traditional ratatouille and blending it into a pasta sauce, I’m able to get the flavors I love with the texture of a marinara. Problem solved.

Because it’s been scorching hot here I decided to prepare the sauce using one pot on the stovetop. It’s super easy and comes together in less than 30 minutes.

You could also roast the vegetables on a sheet pan if you live somewhere that’s not currently sweltering. Please comment and let me know where you are so I can move there. Thanks. ;)

Directions:

In a large pot, warm 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2 minutes, until translucent.

Next add the garlic, eggplant, bell peppers, tomatoes, zucchini, herbs de Provence, and salt & pepper. Stir to combine then cover and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, until vegetables are tender and tomatoes have burst open. Remove from heat and set aside to cool slightly.

Meanwhile, bring a separate pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta as directed.

Once cooked vegetables are cooled down a bit, transfer them to a food processor or a blender and blend until a thick sauce forms. It’s up to you how chunky you would like to leave it. Transfer back to the pot and keep warm over low heat.

Did you try this recipe? Please let me know how it turned out by rating the recipe, leaving a comment below or sharing a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #makingthymeforhealth. I love hearing your feedback!

This looks delicious! Trader Joe’s just came out with an organic yellow lentil & brown rice pasta that has an impressive 14 gms protein per 2 oz serving and I think this combo would be great! ;)

Oh I need to try that! I love their red lentil pasta so I’m sure I would like that one too. :)

It’s been scorching here in Bakersfield and no way I even wanted to heat up my stovetop in the RV…BUT…I had the ingredients (local grown, yay!) So got up early and grilled them! Then blenderized them, and ooh yum, smoky, tasty…even for breakfast! Thank you so much for this great idea!

Such a great idea to make it for a healthy breakfast! I think it would be amazing on the grill too. I’m definitely going to try that once we finally get a grill. :)

I love big pasta dishes like this because then I have lunches at work for the rest of the week! Your comment about thin/fried eggplant made me think of a tapas dish at our favorite restaurant- they slice + fry it, then top it with honey, sea salt, and fresh thyme. It’s so freaking good!

This doesn’t look ugly at all to me :) I adore ratatouille, so this is totally my kind of comfort food! Definitely going to try this soon!

Honestly Sarah, I think you did a wonderful job with photographing this recipe! I think it looks delicious, and I’m allergic to eggplant so it usually makes me mostly itchy to look at recipes with it haha

That’s a great idea!

Could you sub anything for the herb de Provence if I can’t find it?

Technically the herbs de Provence are most ideal for ratatouille but you can sub with a mixture of: 1 teaspoon dried basil, 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, 1/8 teaspoon ground coriander, and 1/4 teaspoon fennel seeds. You can also adjust the seasonings to your preferences. I hope that helps! :)